Luggage items and in particular luggage cases (suitcases) now conventionally include wheels and tow handle arrangements to allow them to be wheeled and more easily moved by a user. Originally a pair of fixed axis wheel were provided at one end and on the sides of a case to allow the case to be wheeled on one end in a length wise manner (long side of the case generally horizontal). An example of such an arrangement is the Samsonite Oyster suitcase. This arrangement with a pair of wheels has evolved to provide additional fixed axis wheel at both ends of the case, and also to use wheels that are mounted to also rotate about a vertical axis (so called spinner wheels). An example of such a configuration with fixed and spinner type wheels is shown in EP 0106906. More recently there has been a change to provide cases that are arranged to be wheeled in a more vertical orientation (i.e. with their longest sides/dimension) vertical, and an increasing trend to provide four spinner type wheels on the bottom end. Such multiple spinner wheels allow better maneuverability of the case and easier user handling. Such an arrangement is now the standard default configuration.
A problem with wheeled cases is that in order to minimise the overall dimensions of the case which include the wheels, it is desirable to minimise the size of the wheels. Small wheels however are less able to cope and operate on rough surfaces. Spinner wheels in particular take up a lot of space with the actual diameter of the wheel having to be reduced to minimise overall space. A further general problem is to provide a suitcase that can more easily cope with stairs, with in general cases having to be manually carried up and down stairs.
It is therefore desirable to provide an improved luggage article, and more specifically an improved wheel arrangement on a luggage case that addresses the above described problems and/or which more generally offers improvements or an alternative to existing arrangements.